Truly Lords of the North.

They say anticipation is half the enjoyment.  Not always; and nor did this trip fit that description.  I had been thinking about it and saving for it and planning for it and excited about it for quite some time and yet I was not disappointed with the experience.  I fell in love with the big bears in 2010.  They are majestic, intelligent, ancient and VERY big;  and so the seeds were sown for seeing and learning more about polar bears, the biggest of them all.  It seemed so unattainable and intriguing to a Queenslander.  And so to Churchill I went full of anticipation and excitement.

Our first stop was a rainy and cold Winnipeg.  We visited some interesting places such as the Museum which was a good preparation for where we were to go and what we would do.  We also visited the new Polar Bear Conservation Centre which will be working with other agencies to expand research into polar bear conservation.  This centre will be part of polar bear rescues which includes transitioning rescued cubs to various parts of the world.  The greatest surprise was an introduction to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.  The building is still under construction but the concept and the planning are well under way and we spent an interesting afternoon be informed by the woman who will be the Director.  It is part of Canada's commitment to recognising, celebrating and promoting Human Rights and a reflection of their Charter of Human Rights as part of their Constitution.

However informative and interesting all of this was, all I wanted to do was get to Churchill.

We flew in under the clouds and were greeted by a couple of staff from the Churchill Northern Study Centre (CNSC).  We were taken to a lecture room and completed paperwork and had a safety briefing, the core of which was we were not to go out of the centre without permission or an armed guard.  Um, things are getting interesting.  We had a quick dinner and then off to our first lecture.  This is what I had come for to learn about and see polar bears.  YES!!!  We were told about the western Hudson Bay population, the ecology and other marine animals in the area.  We also learned about research that was currently happening at the centre.  We needed to know something because we were spending the next day on a tundra buggy hoping to see some bears.  Oh boy!  How good is that?